Accessibility

MV wins, retains contracts

The Presidio Trust awarded MV Transportation Inc. a contract to provide the operation and maintenance services for the Presidio Shuttle, which serves the California cities of San Jose, Hayward, Livermore and Vallejo. MV also announced that the city of Capitola, Calif., chose to allow the company to continue providing management and operation services for its weekend Summer Shuttle service.

Under the terms of the eight-year Presidio contract, MV began providing service on March 1, 2009, through the use of more than eight CNG vehicles. The company will also provide all operations and maintenance, as well as several of its proprietary real-time technology tools, comprehensive vehicle maintenance program and extensive vehicle operator training program.

Meanwhile, the Capitola contract, which covers five years and is worth $95,000, will have MV continue providing operation and management services for the shuttle program, with the new contract beginning in May.

Based in Fairfield, Calif., MV is a private provider of paratransit services and the largest privately-owned transportation contracting firm in the U.S. The company employs more than 12,000 transit professionals and operates more than 190 paratransit, fixed-route, shuttle and Medicaid contracts in 24 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Transportation America’s 5-year, $208 million contract states the county will withhold the disputed amounts from the company while the dispute is resolved. But, transit officials say they are conceding to TA attorneys who claim the contract language is ambiguous and letting the company hold the cash.

According to police, the Hampton Roads Transit bus driver saw the person traveling on the street in the direction of the bus and swerved at the last second to avoid a direct collision with the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair struck the right side of the bus.

The Winnipeg Taxi Board initially denied Sunshine Transit Services an accessible limousine license in 2012. With the signing of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, help from the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities and the Public Interest Law Center, Manitoba's one and only accessible limo license was granted to Sunshine Transit Services in August 2014.

The goal of the updated process is to ensure that only persons who meet the regulatory criteria are regarded as eligible for paratransit service, making this vital service more efficient. Eligibility is based on limitations to an individual’s abilities, not just the presence of a disability.